The whole thing, situated just south of the tennis courts along Picacho Avenue.

Views of the “thing” on top:

Inside and underneath is a round seating area with an Indian symbol written into the cement and lots of names, words, and dates (circa 1995) written into the ground below:

And standing inside, looking straight up past the crumbling cement, is this fish:

If anyone has info on this, please comment.

And this:

I actually snagged the above two images from the LC Sun News website as a coincidental breakdown of my truck is now preventing me from venturing beyond the confines of my daily travels. I must say the mountains look stunning and alive with a blanket of white over them.

Today I managed to snap a few shots of the mountains from the open field of the Masonic Cemetery, as it provides some nice panoramic views of the entire range. Low-laying misty clouds and chilly temps = some lovely wintertime desert sunsets.

As I type this entry it’s snowing again and has been for the past 2 hours, so I expect to take a few more pictures tomorrow morning and post an update.

EDIT: It indeed continued snowing during the night and I woke up to a frosty, icy winter wonderland. Because seeing snow is so rare for me, I decided to take a leisurely walk to work instead of risking a slip-n-slide on my bicycle. Seeing cactus covered in snow is an odd sight and I imagine much of the plant & animal life in this area struggle with such cold temperatures. Like this bird:

It was as if he just dropped out of the sky in mid-flight. Just couldn’t take it.

I got some shots of the peaks of the Organ Mountains were poking up through the low-lying foggy clouds before the sun burned everything away.

Pure evil.

From what I was told, this pack of feral furries congregate daily near this convenience store for a bag full of leftover scraps from the Chinese restaurant next door. (Insert joke here about cats & Chinese restaurants).

My guess is that the surrounding neighbors totally love this guy for diligently attracting a pack of 30+ hungry stray cats day after day.

]]> http://www.desertrange.com/2009/10/11/wanted-donkey-cart/feed/ 0 http://www.desertrange.com/2009/08/29/tecate-tortillas-spanish-music/ http://www.desertrange.com/2009/08/29/tecate-tortillas-spanish-music/#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:13:39 +0000 lux http://www.desertrange.com/?p=431 Ah, Tecate! A longtime favorite thirst quencher on hot summer days and a required supplement when spending a sweaty afternoon working out in the yard. It is most certainly the Mexican working man’s Budweiser, yet comes with an inflated price tag in the United States due to its status as an “import”. To be honest, it’s swill. I can knock back an eight dollar 6-pack in a few hours, yet feel like I’ve only downed two beers and flushed out my urinary tract in the process. Rumor has it from a scuba-diving pal that the shallow bottoms of Lake Pleasant, Arizona are littered with Tecate cans – presumably also a favorite of drunken boaters as well.

And then this made national news on August 28, 2009. Laughable, at best, and annoyingly pathetic at the same time.

Forest Service warning linking tortillas and Tecate to armed pot growers called profiling

By STEVEN K. PAULSON / Associated Press Writer
Posted: 08/28/2009 03:39:16 PM MDT

DENVER — A federal warning to beware of campers in national forests who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music because they could be armed marijuana growers is racial profiling, an advocate for Hispanic rights said Friday.

The warnings were issued Wednesday by the U.S. Forest Service, which is investigating how much marijuana is being illegally cultivated in Colorado’s national forests following the recent discovery of more than 14,000 plants in Pike National Forest.

“That’s discriminatory, and it puts Hispanic campers in danger,” said Polly Baca, co-chairwoman of the Colorado Latino Forum.

A spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service had no immediate response to Baca’s comments.

Forest Service officials said they believe illegal immigrants are being brought to Colorado by Latin American drug cartels for mass cultivation of marijuana.

Michael Skinner, a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, said warning signs of possible drug trafficking include “tortilla packaging, beer cans, Spam, Tuna, Tecate beer cans,” and campers who play Spanish music. He said the warning includes people speaking Spanish.

The warning signs were included in a slide presentation put together for drug agents in Colorado and the public.

Skinner said this may or may not represent criminal activity, but are indicators and he urged any campers who encounter long-term campers meeting the profile to “hike out quickly” and call police.

“Our goal is to not allow organization using foreign nationals or any other persons involved in illegal drug production to take over our national forests,” the department warned.

Baca said there is no evidence that Hispanics are the only people involved in large-scale drug operations and said she was “appalled that anyone, especially someone from the federal government, would say something like that.”

Marvink Correa, spokesman for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said federal officials are painting an unfair stereotype of Hispanics.

“When I go camping, I’ll be sure to play nothing but Bruce Springsteen,” he said.

The recent discovery was the second large seizure this summer in Colorado. Two people were arrested, but federal officials refused to provide details, saying the investigation is continuing.

In July, authorities spent more than 24 hours clearing another marijuana growing operation in Pike National Forest. They say the plants’ street value was about $2.5 million, but no arrests were made.

The 142+ reader comments only add to the comedic value of this media turd. What will they come up with next?

This fucking beast was just sitting in my bathtub and when I approached it he made a run for the drain – only he couldn’t fit in it. He just sat there for a while, head in the drain and ass in the air, perhaps pretending I couldn’t see him. As you can compare this thing to my comb, it was at least 4 inches long. To resolve this disgusting problem I did what many people would do – put a warning sign on the bathroom door, closed it, and went to work.

When I came home later my husband assembled the required tools for monster removal: newspaper + plastic cup. And out he went.

On Thursday, gunmen opened fire and tossed a grenade at a crowded taco stand in the central Mexican city of Uruapan, killing a police officer and a 15-year-old boy, a spokesman for the state prosecutor’s office said n condition of anonymity because his office does not allow him to give his name.

The policeman was shot while eating with a fellow officer, the spokesman said. Before fleeing, the assailants shot two tanks of cooking gas that exploded, burning the teenage taco stand worker to death. Four other people were injured.

Investigators said the attack apparently targeted the two officers.

Also Thursday, armed men barged into a motel room and killed five people in their beds in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, said Victor Valencia de los Santos, public safety secretary for Chihuahua state. A sixth person was wounded.

Two other people were killed during a car chase and shootout between armed men in downtown Juarez, said Enrique Torres, a spokesman for the joint military and federal police operation responsible for security in the city. Both people killed were gunmen.

The human race is doomed.

Anthony man arrested following domestic dispute

Sun-News report
Posted: 05/31/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

ANTHONY, N.M. An 18-year-old man was charged with domestic violence after allegedly taking his girlfriend’s clothing to keep her from running away, according to a news release from the Do-a Ana Sheriff’s Department.

Alejandro Flores, 18, of the 200 block of Chert Street in Anthony, N.M., was arrested by investigators and charged with one count of false imprisonment, a fourth-degree felony, and three misdemeanor counts of battery against a household member, according to the release.

Flores allegedly confined the victim in his bedroom and took all her clothing but her underwear in order to keep her from leaving, she told a deputy in Berino. Flores also allegedly bit her once on her chin and once on her right arm, leaving visible bite marks.

The alleged victim is the mother of Flores’ week-old child. She was reportedly only able to leave the house after Flores went to get a drink of water and she found a T-shirt of his.

Whoa! Chin biter! Sounds like all that biting made him thirsty! There were absolutely zero reader comments made about this article which leads me to believe incidents like this, particularly in Anthony, NM, are such everyday occurrences that nobody really cares anymore. Next!

Jailers find white powder in Las Cruces man’s underwear after court appearance

Sun-News report
Posted: 06/03/2009 02:07:32 PM MDT

LAS CRUCES – A 20-year-old Las Cruces man learned the hard way that smuggling suspected drugs in your underwear is not a good idea when you go to court.

Antonio Brown, of the 190 block of Broadview Place, appeared before District Judge Stephen Bridgforth Tuesday for a hearing and immediately was sent to the Doña Ana County Detention Center for incarceration, pending sentencing for a separate charge of armed robbery, according to a news release from sheriff’s investigator Bo Nevarez.

While at the detention center, Brown was subjected to a routine search and a detention officer reportedly felt a lump in Brown’s underwear. The officer cut away a seam and discovered a white powder in a plastic container, according to the release.

Brown allegedly asked the officer to “flush it down the toilet.” The contraband along with Brown’s underwear, was confiscated for evidence.

Dick: “What if your dope was on fire?”

Bender: “That’s impossible, sir. It’s in Brown’s underwear.”

Or, “What can Brown do for you?”

Man in multi-car crashes jumps to his death

By Stephanie Sanchez / For the Sun-News
Posted: 06/05/2009 05:21:14 AM MDT

EL PASO — A man apparently crashed a Jeep into several other vehicles before jumping to his death on Interstate 10 East at Eastlake Boulevard on Thursday, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said.

The man, whose identity was not released but who was said to be in his 40s, jumped 29 feet off I-10 onto Eastlake just before 3:25 p.m.

He had crashed into several cars and a tractor-trailer rig as he drove east on the interstate in a red Jeep, said Chris Acosta, of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, who was alone in the Jeep, then pulled over and jumped, she said. He died at the scene.

It was not immediately known how many vehicles he struck. No other injuries were reported.

Interstate 10 East was closed at Eastlake Boulevard for several hours.

Double whoa! Not really a savage, I guess…but whoa! This sounds like something you’d see in an action movie, only it’s happening for real right here. Crazy.

Man arrested after punching pregnant wife in face, sheriff’s deputies say

By Stephanie Sanchez / El Paso Times
Posted: 06/10/2009 11:53:30 AM MDT

EL PASO – A 30-year-old man was arrested Friday after he broke his pregnant wife’s nose and threatened her with a handgun, a sheriff’s spokesman said Wednesday.

Adan Reyes was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance, said Deputy Jesse Tovar.

At about 1:50 p.m. Friday, deputies were dispatched to Montana Avenue and Flager Street. After arriving, authorities found a woman, who was eight months pregnant, shaken, crying and bleeding from her nose, Tovar said.

The woman, whose name was being withheld by deputies, told deputies her husband had gotten angry during an argument at their home in the 14000 block of Desert Willow and struck her in the nose with his fist, Tovar said. She said he then got a handgun, loaded it and threatened to kill her if she didn’t leave the house.

Tovar said deputies went to the woman’s house and arrested Reyes. He had cocaine in his possession and they also found the handgun, he said.

The woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for a broken nose, he said.

The title of this article is so awesome and sounds like something you’d read on some dark-humored parody website, but once again it’s no joke and made it into the local news. Five bucks says this is her third pregnancy with this waster, they all live in a shitty trailer and are too busy fighting all the time to contribute anything remotely positive to society, and that within a month she’ll be back in his arms because he’ll promise to change. Next.

Man convicted in string of armed robberies in Las Cruces

By Ashley Meeks Sun-News reporter
Posted: 06/11/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES A convicted murderer has been found guilty of armed robbery charges Wednesday.

Dominic Martin Montoya, 32, faces a mandatory 22-year sentence for each of the 2005 robbery charges, due to a prior conviction for using a firearm, said prosecutor Nelson Goodin.

The Albuquerque native has a long criminal past including convictions for murder and attacking a corrections officer, according to court records.

In this conviction, Montoya robbed an Eagle Quik Mart, a Kinko’s and the Teakwood Inn & Suites in Las Cruces over two consecutive days, armed with a small, .25 caliber Raven, Goodin said.

“He just walked into the Eagle Quik Mart, asked the guy for a bottle of Jack Daniels. When (the clerk) was putting it in the bag (Montoya) says, “Put the money in the bag, too,’ and shows the handgun,” Goodin said Wednesday. “At Kinko’s, he’s got the gun in his waistband, goes up to the clerk and pulls his shirt up and says, “Do you know what this is?’ … Then, he goes down to Teakwood and does basically the same thing.”

Sentencing for Wednesday’s trial has yet to be scheduled.

“If they were to run all the counts concurrently, (the sentence) would be at least 22 years, mandatory,” Goodin said, describing the case as “pretty straightforward.”

Testimony in the two-day trial wrapped up Wednesday in District Court in Las Cruces. The jury deliberated about an hour before delivering their verdict.

Defense attorney Pedro Pineda was not immediately available for comment.

Montoya currently is housed at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility, west of Las Cruces.

In April, Montoya was found guilty of attacking a correctional officer in 2006, a fourth-degree felony, and sentenced to more than two years by District Judge Stephen Bridgforth. Montoya admitted to striking the officer but said he was provoked because correctional officers had taken legal and personal letters from his cell during a search.

Montoya, who was previously convicted of murder by an Albuquerque court, also awaits trial for a 2006 murder and for reportedly striking two correctional officers in January, 2008.

He is accused of attacking 29-year-old Adam Avalos, an inmate at the Do-a Ana County Detention Center, with a jail-issued razor and stabbing him numerous times. The victim was reportedly found with a slash across his neck and his right ear cut off. Investigators said they also found the words, “will she love me,” a heart and two initials written in blood on a shower wall. If convicted on all counts in the killing, Montoya faces a possible sentence of 48 years.

Smile! You’re a psycho! You know, it’s wackos like this that cause some of us to wonder about the effectiveness and value of the democratical “justice” and “correctional” systems currently in place in the United States. In many parts of the world this waste of skin would have gotten as far as the ear-cutting episode before taking a dirt nap (courtesy of the community tired of dealing with such savagery). Why exactly is the State putting food on an ear-slicing murderer’s plate every day and providing him with shelter and medical care for at least the next 22 years?

As I post this article it’s only June 11. To be continued…

UPDATE! It only took 2 days since I originally posted this. The savagery continues:

Anthony man accused of threatening neighbor with crowbar

Sun-News report
Posted: 06/13/2009 06:29:44 PM MDT

ANTHONY, N.M. – An 18-year-old Anthony, N.M., man has been arrested for an alleged assault with a crowbar, according to a news release from the Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office.

Hector Garcia Jacquez, of the 1000 block of Madison Street, was already on probation for a February charge of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Deputy Alfred Sanchez responded to Madison Street at 11:45 p.m. Friday after a 21-year-old man reported his neighbor had threatened him with a crowbar.

Jacquez was charged with one fourth-degree felony count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and, because the deputy found the crowbar flung in a ditch, one fourth-degree count of tampering with evidence.

The incident is not believed to be gang-related, said investigator Bo Nevarez.

Jacquez, who has several harassment complaints against him, had been allegedly speeding back and forth past the house of the victim, Nevarez said. In addition to the threat with the crowbar, Nevarez said Jacquez had also come out of his house with a large kitchen knife, later found in his car, and that his elderly grandmother had been trying to throw rocks at the victim and his family. She was not charged.

Jacquez is currently being detained at the Doña Ana County Detention Center. A magistrate judge set Jacquez’s bond at $25,000 cash only.

Large kitchen knife? Grandma throwing rocks? Crowbar? Oh, wait – just another day in the life in Anthony, NM. Makes sense.

Awaiting trial, Jesse Steven Ogaz arrested for another domestic dispute

Sun-News report
Posted: 06/13/2009 06:29:43 PM MDT

DOÑA ANA – A 46-year-old man awaiting trial for another domestic incident was arrested after he allegedly attempted to strangle his 40-year-old girlfriend, according to a news release from the Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office.

The two have no children together, said investigator Bo Nevarez.

Jesse Steven Ogaz was charged with aggravated battery against a household member causing great bodily harm, a felony, and battery against a household member, a misdemeanor.

Ogaz was arrested by New Mexico State University police on March 18 for allegedly harassing his girlfriend by phone and was out on a $4,000 bond Friday.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Hash responded to their residence at around 11 p.m. Friday after the woman called 911.

A magistrate judge set Ogaz’s bond at $10,000 cash only.

Another perpetual burden? Apparently the $4,000 price tag on the March incident was a bargain, so he progressed to attempted murder. I despise men who man-handle women. All it proves is that they are dickless cowards  choosing a physically weaker  opponent. What I want to know is how are these bonds being paid and by whom? Maybe I’m not clear on how it works, but if I was locked up last March with a $4,000 release fee I’d still be there.

FINAL UPDATE: Girls just wanna have fun, too.

Dona Ana County woman charged with police baton assault

Posted: 06/22/2009 08:20:07 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES – A Dona Ana County woman is behind bars this morning after deputies say she assaulted another woman with a police baton.

DASO deputy Adrian Sanchez responded to a 911 call around 3 a.m. Monday after a woman reported that she, along with her two sisters, had been assaulted by another woman, wielding a police baton.

According to investigators, an altercation in the 6500 block of Fox Road between three sisters and another woman, resulted in one of the sisters sustaining a broken nose and bruises, after being struck repeatedly with a police baton about her head, torso and legs.

The victim, age 22, was transported to Mountain View Hospital by ambulance, with non-life threatening injuries.

The women, according to the victim, had been consuming alcohol earlier in the evening, leading into the early morning hours, when an argument ensued between the victim, her sisters and the suspect, about how the suspect was allegedly treating her daughter.

Viola Anne Nunez, 32, of the 8900 block of Englehardt, was charged with one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a third degree felony and two counts of battery, petty misdemeanors, for allegedly biting the victim in the leg during the confrontation and for allegedly punching one of the sisters, age 25, in the nose.

Shuttle Atlantis piggybacks over Las Cruces

By Diana M. Alba/Sun-News reporter
Posted: 06/02/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES – Space shuttle Atlantis passed over Las Cruces on Monday morning, piggybacked on a NASA jet during a return trip to Florida.

Around 11 a.m., a Boeing 747 with the shuttle attached made its way over Las Cruces toward the NASA White Sands Test Facility and then veered south along the western face of the Organ Mountains.

Cort said the test facility didn’t have an official involvement in the shuttle’s flight, but – after the spacecraft landed in California on May 24 – had made a request that the shuttle pass over Las Cruces and the facility, as a sort of “morale booster.”

White Sands Space Harbor, located east of the San Andres Mountains, is an alternate landing site for shuttles on their return flights from space. Just one shuttle has touched down at the location, in 1982, but astronauts train at the facility weekly.

Las Crucen Mike Groves, a professional photographer, had heard on the radio that the shuttle would be in the area and was ready with his camera when it did. One of his shots captured the aircraft with the Organ Mountains in the background.

“It was so close,” he said. “I zoomed in and you could see the American flag and everything.”

CHiPs actor Erik Estrada joins NM Gov. Bill Richardson for traffic safety program kickoff

By The Associated Press
Posted: 05/29/2009

ALBUQUERQUE – Actor Erik Estrada, known for portraying Officer Frank Poncherello in the 1970s television show “CHiPs,” is helping a New Mexico crackdown on drunk and reckless drivers.

Estrada will appear in a TV commercial, on billboards and do radio spots for the “100 Days and Nights of Summer” campaign, which runs June 1 to Sept. 7.

Gov. Bill Richardson’s office said Estrada was chosen “because of his popularity and his association with law enforcement organizations.” Estrada joined Richardson at a news conference Thursday to preview the initiative.

Richardson said holidays and summer months are historically the deadliest on New Mexico roadways. The effort is also aimed at increasing enforcement of seat belt and speeding laws.

Unfortunately, when I think of Erik Estrada’s image being used in a promotional manner I think of this:

…used endlessly on websites and message boards as a tool to insult others during low-IQ flamewars. I can’t believe CHiPs is being brought back to life in such a whimsical manner, as I recall it as being one of the worst television shows I’ve ever seen.

Yesterday I saw one of the campaign’s billboards and without saying anything else I’ll snap some shots and update this post soon.

UPDATE: Here’s two billboards I spotted in central Las Cruces.